Illustration of red-tailed hawk
red-tailed hawk
noun
: a widely distributed chiefly rodent-eating New World hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) that is usually mottled dusky above and white streaked dusky and tinged with buff below and has a rather short typically reddish tail
called also redtail
Examples of red-tailed hawk in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Tuffy is a baby red-tailed hawk who was stolen from his nest by a bald eagle on May 20.
—
Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2023
Earlier this month, Gillard noticed another baby red-tailed hawk living in the nest.
—Daniel S. Levine, Peoplemag, 23 June 2023
Alan can tell a red-tailed hawk from a sharp-shinned one, having been dragged as a child every spring to the southern shore of Lake Ontario to watch raptors migrate north.
—Elaine Chen, New York Times, 21 June 2023
It was likely initially brought as prey for the eaglet already in the nest, but the eagles began to raise it as their own young, with a second red-tailed hawk joining the nest later.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 20 June 2023
If Pale Male did live past 30, his life was one of the longest ever recorded for a red-tailed hawk.
—Karen Matthews, Fortune, 17 May 2023
After the heavy rains, Southern California wildlife experts are already noticing more of certain species, such as the kangaroo rat and red-tailed hawk.
—Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2023
Too, this little pea-less whistle does a damn fine job with the bobwhite quail, as well as the aforementioned red-tailed hawk.
—M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 23 Jan. 2023
Bald eagle, American goldfinch, Cooper's hawk, red-tailed hawk, and eastern bluebird are a few of the species expected to be present in the sanctuary.
—Arkansas Online, 18 July 2022
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Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2023
Earlier this month, Gillard noticed another baby red-tailed hawk living in the nest.
—Daniel S. Levine, Peoplemag, 23 June 2023
Alan can tell a red-tailed hawk from a sharp-shinned one, having been dragged as a child every spring to the southern shore of Lake Ontario to watch raptors migrate north.
—Elaine Chen, New York Times, 21 June 2023
It was likely initially brought as prey for the eaglet already in the nest, but the eagles began to raise it as their own young, with a second red-tailed hawk joining the nest later.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 20 June 2023
If Pale Male did live past 30, his life was one of the longest ever recorded for a red-tailed hawk.
—Karen Matthews, Fortune, 17 May 2023
After the heavy rains, Southern California wildlife experts are already noticing more of certain species, such as the kangaroo rat and red-tailed hawk.
—Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2023
Too, this little pea-less whistle does a damn fine job with the bobwhite quail, as well as the aforementioned red-tailed hawk.
—M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 23 Jan. 2023
Bald eagle, American goldfinch, Cooper's hawk, red-tailed hawk, and eastern bluebird are a few of the species expected to be present in the sanctuary.
—Arkansas Online, 18 July 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'red-tailed hawk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1805, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Red-tailed hawk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red-tailed%20hawk. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
red-tailed hawk
nounˌred-ˌtāld-
: an American hawk that has a rather short usually reddish tail and feeds mostly on small rodents (as mice)
called also redtail
More from Merriam-Webster on red-tailed hawk
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about red-tailed hawk
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